Zi-ka-wei 
Orphanage 


The  Zi-ka-wei 
Orphanage 


BY 

D.  J.  KAVANAGH,  S.  J. 


1111-1134    MISSION    ST. 
SAX    FRANOISOO 


•     .  • 
e«    1 


FOREWORD 

Visitors  to  the  Panama-Pacific  International 
Exposition  pause  longer  than  usual  when  they 
reach  the  northwest  corner  of  the  Palace  of 
Education.  Here  they  find  themselves  in  a 
very  forest  of  miniature  Chinese  pagodas,  sur- 
rounded on  all  sides  by  an  immense  variety  of 
statues,  paintings,  wood-carved  furniture,  teak- 
wood  chests,  camphor  boxes,  antique  lacquer 
screens,  century-old  temple  gongs,  artistically 
mounted,  and  a  profusion  of  wood-carvings  that 
for  delicacy  of  touch  and  microscopic  detail, 
have  no  rival  in  the  entire  Exposition.  "What 
is  this?"  the  visitor  asks  and  on  being  informed 
that  it  is  an  exhibit  sent  to  the  Exposition  by 
the  orphans  of  Zi-ka-wei,  his  wonder  grows  and 
further  information  is  sought  concerning  the 
orphans  and  the  training  which  they  receive 
under  the  direction  of  the  Jesuit  Missionaries. 

This  little  pamphlet,  the  first  of  a  series  of 
similar  sketches,  has  been  prepared  to  supply 
the  often-sought-for  information.  In  subse- 
quent pamphlets  it  is  intended  to  cover  the 
whole  ground  of  Catholic  Missionary  work  in 
China. 

REV.  D.  J.  KAVANAGH,  S.  J.. 
Palace  of  Education, 

Exposition  Grounds. 


THE   ZI-KA-WEI   ORPHANAGE 

Zi-ka-wei, — a  flourishing  little  town  on  the 
outskirts  of  Shanghai  and  connected  with  the 
latter  place  by  electric  cars — is,  in  the  opinion 
of  many,  one  of  the  most  interesting  spots  in 
the  whole  of  China.  Scarcely  anyone  ever 
goes  to  Shanghai,  without  being  told  on  all 
sides  and  by  all  classes  of  men,  that  "he  must 
take  a  run  out  to  Zi-ka-wei."  If  he  is  a 
scientist,  he  will  find  there  the  famous  zoological 
and  botanical  museums  which  contain  a  truly 
marvelous  and  complete  collection  of  all  the 
flora  and  fauna  of  the  entire  Orient.  If  he  is 
an  astronomer,  his  interest  will  be  aroused  by 
the  fact  that  it  is  the  site  of  an  astronomical 
observatory  that  ranks  with  those  of  Tokyo  and 
Manila  by  reason  of  the  services  rendered 
to  astronomical  science  and  more  especially  by 
reason  of  its  historical  connection  with  the 
first  efforts  made  towards  the  Christianization 
of  the  Chinese,  by  Ricci,  Schall  and  Verbiest, 
the  eminent  Jesuit  scientists  of  the  Seventeenth 
Century.  If  the  visitor  is  interested  in  the  study 
of  seismic  phenomena.  Zi-ka-wei  will  appeal  to 
him  still  more  forcibly ;  for  there  is  installed 
a  seismographical  plant,  that  is  in  direct  tele- 
graphic communication  with  all  similar  institu- 


6          The  Zi-Ka-Wei  Orphanage 

tions  throughout  the  world.  Sea  captains  con- 
sult the  Jesuit  Fathers  in  charge  of  the  weather 
bureau  before  they  entrust  themselves  to  the 
perils  of  the  deep.  Many  a  seafarer  and  many 
a  precious  cargo  have  been  saved  from  destruc- 
tion by  the  accurate  prediction  of  date  and 
path  of  impending  storms.  Students  of  Chinese 
history  and  of  Chinese  literature  visit  the  in- 
stitution to  verify,  if  for  no  other  reason,  the 
report  that  the  Jesuit  library,  in  the  distant 
Orient,  contains  over  100,000  volumes  and  that 
among  these  there  are  the  most  precious  works 
extant  in  Chinese  language.  Students  of  art 
and  architecture, — which,  it  may  be  noted  in 
passing,  are  the  most  fascinating  elements  that 
enter  into  the  strange  composition  of  Oriental 
life, — find  at  Zi-ka-wei  sufficient  material  to 
study  these  subjects  in  all  their  vastness  and 
in  all  their  luxury  of  detail.  Interesting  beyond 
expression,  in  this  regard,  is  the  unique  col- 
lection of  Chinese  pagodas  that  have  been  re- 
stored in  exact  proportions  by  the  orphan  boys 
of  Zi-ka-wei  under  the  direction  of  Brother 
Reck,  S.  J.  We  shall  return  to  the  subject  of 
pagodas  later  on  in  the  course  of  this  sketch. 
Apart  from  these  objects  of  scientific  and 
secular  interest.  Zi-ka-wei  affords  an  excellent 
opportunity  to  study  missionary  work  at  its 


The  Zi-Ka-Wei  Orphanage          7 

highest  point  of  efficiency.  The  college,  in 
charge  of  the  Jesuit  Fathers  has  more  than 
400  students.  Christians  and  non-Christians. 
The  students  enter  the  institution  for  the  educa- 
tional advantages  which  it  affords  and  inci- 
dentally they  learn  more  about  the  Christian 
faith,  if  they  are  already  Christians,  while,  if 
they  are  not  Christians,  they  lose  their  native 
prejudices  and  misgivings  and  acquire  a  great 
amount  of  respect  for  the  men  who  have 
traveled  around  the  world  to  win  the  Chinese  to 
God  through  the  religion  of  Christ  and  His 
Church.  Education  is  of  incalculable  advantage 
in  the  spread  of  Christianity  among  a  race  as 
intellectual  as  the  Chinese. 

Besides  the  college  proper  there  is  at  Zi-ka- 
\vei  an  ecclesiastical  seminary  founded  for  the 
purpose  of  training  Chinese  youths  who  wish  to 
enter  the  ranks  of  the  priesthood.  At  the 
present  writing  there  are  more  than  75  semi- 
narians engaged  in  the  higher  studies  of  Letters, 
Philosophy  and  Divinity.  These  young  men  who 
feel  the  call  of  God  to  the  priesthood  are 
characterized  by  a  keenness  of  intellect  that 
enables  them  to  grasp  the  most  difficult  subjects 
with  comparative  ease,  and  by  a  zeal  for  the 
propagation  of  Christianity  among  their  fellow 
countrymen  that  is  equaled  only  by  the  care 


8          The  Zi-Ka-Wei  Orphanage 

and    diligence   with    which   they    prepare    them- 
selves for  the  glorious  work. 

Still  more  attractive  and,  in  the  opinion  of 
many,  still  more  productive  of  good  is  the  work 
that  is  being  done  and  that  has  been  done  in 
the  two  orphanages  at  Zi-ka-wei.  Astronomical 
and  seismographical  research  work,  literary  and 
historical  studies,  collegiate  and  seminary  train- 
ing are  all  very  admirable  and  bear  much  fruit ; 
but  it  is  not  beyond  the  range  of  possibility 
to  regard  the  establishment  and  conduct  of  such 
institutions  in  the  light  of  purely  secular 
achievements.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  varied 
institutions  which  have  been  mentioned  are  not 
inspired  by  secular  motives ;  like  Jesuit  institu- 
tions generally  they  are  but  means  to  a  higher 
end.  If  the  heavens  are  studied  and  the  paths 
of  the  stars  traced  with  mathematical  exactness, 
it  is  with  a  view  of  attracting  the  students'  at- 
tention to  the  existence  of  an  intelligent  Ruler, 
Who  orders  all  things  sweetly  and  harmoni- 
ously. If  scientific  observations  are  made,  it 
is  with  the  hope  of  leading  the  inquirers 
through  nature  to  nature's  God.  An  intimate 
acquaintance  with  creation  is  a  very  powerful 
help  for  the  acquisition  of  a  knowledge  of  the 
Creator.  Finally,  if  the  Jesuit  missionaries  de- 
vote their  time  and  talents  to  the  work  of  train- 


The  Zi-Ka-Wei  Orphanage 


ing  young  men  in  literature  and  the  fine  arts 
generally,  it  is  with  the  hope  of  reaching  the 
heart  through  the  intelligence  and  of  attuning 
it  to  the  influence  of  Divine  Love  and  of  thus 
insuring  the  faithful  observance  of  God's  law 
which  is  the  sum  and  substance  of  Christian 
morality. 

This  higher  view  of  education  is  not  always 
taken  either  by  educators  themselves,  or  by 
those  who  visit  the  educational  institutions  and 
observe  their  methods  and  their  progress.  In 
the  case  of  orphanages,  however,  especially  in 
foreign  lands,  it  is  impossible  to  overlook  the 
supernatural  motives  that  prompt  the  charitable 
work  and  so  of  all  the  Jesuit  institutions  at  Zi- 
ka-wei  the  one  which  is  of  predominating  in- 
terest is  the  orphan  asylum.  We  shall  study  this 
institution  in  its  origin  and  its  present  status. 

Prior  to  the  year  1864,  the  residence  of  the 
Jesuits  at  Zi-ka-wei  was  the  center  of  their 
missionary  activity  in  and  about  Shanghai.  They 
had  established  there  a  college  for  the  higher 
education  of  Chinese  youths.  Mr.  Lawrence 
Oliphant  visited  this  school  in  1857  and  tells  of 
his  impressions  in  the  following  glowing  terms : 
"I  was  struck  with  the  intelligent  expression  of 
the  youths'  countenances  and  the  apparent  af- 
fection they  had  for  their  teachers.  Instead  of 


io        The  Zi-Ka-Wei  Orphanage 

cramming  nothing  but  texts  down  their  throats, 
they  teach  them  the  Chinese  classics,  Confucius, 
etc.,  so  as  to  enable  them  to  compete  in  the 
examinations.  The  result  is,  that  even  if  they 
do  not  become  Christians,  they  have  always 
gratitude  enough  to  protect  those  to  whom  they 
owed  their  education  and  perhaps  consequent 
rise  in  life."  "At  Zi-ka-wei,"  adds  Dr.  Edkins 
in  1858,  "many  of  the  pupils  are  taught  the  art 
of  molding  images  in  clay,  sculpture,  etc.  It 
caused  us  some  painful  reflections  to  see  them 
forming  images  of  Joseph  and  Mary  and  other 
Scripture  personages,  in  the  same  way  that 
idol-makers  in  the  neighboring  towns  were 
molding  Buddhas  and  Gods  of  War  and  Riches, 
destined,  too,  to  be  honored  in  much  the  same 
manner.  With  such  exceptions  as  this  we  could 
not  help  admiring  the  arrangements  of  the 
school,  which  appeared  to  be  large  and  ef- 
ficient." 

It  will  be  evident  to  any  candid  reader  that 
it  is  not  necessary  to  go  to  China  for  such 
"painful  reflections,"  and  it  will  be  equally  evi- 
dent that  if  there  was,  indeed,  any  serious  "re- 
flection," it  would  do  away  with  all  unnecessary 
"pain."  "Destined  to  be  honored  in  much  the 
same  manner"  is  a  falsehood  which  could  be 
easily  refuted,  if  refutation  were  needed.  The 


The  Zi-Ka-Wei  Orphanage        11 

student  of  history  will  find  more  painful  re- 
flections in  some  of  the  other  phases  of  •  the 
Zi-ka-wei  Jesuit  residence.  In  1864  the  Tai- 
Ping  rebels  ravaged  the  country  about  Shanghai 
and  massacred  thousands  of  the  inhabitants. 
When  the  clouds  of  the  rebellion  had  blown 
away,  the  Jesuits  were  forced  to  convert  their 
flourishing  college  into  a  refuge  for  the  children 
of  the  massacred  parents.  The  Mandarins  of 
Shanghai  had  gathered  together  600  orphans 
and  requested  the  Fathers  to  give  them  shelter 
in  their  college.  As  they  themselves  had  also 
gathered  a  considerable  number  of  these 
abandoned  children,  victims  of  the  rebellion,  they 
had  no  accommodations  for  the  addional  600. 
They  accordingly  improvised  an  orphanage  com- 
posed of  a  number  of  rudely  constructed  straw 
huts  and  were  thus  enabled,  as  far  as  their 
limited  number  would  permit,  to  care  for  more 
than  one  thousand  orphans. 

The  accommodations  were  so  inadequate,  the 
resources  of  the  missionaries  so  low,  the  food 
supply  so  scarce,  by  reason  of  the  prevalent 
famine  consequent  on  the  rebellion,  that  soon 
after  the  completion  of  the  temporary  orphanage 
an  epidemic  of  typhoid  broke  out,  which,  in  a 
very  short  time,  decimated  the  children.  Several 
of  the  Chinese  students  at  Zi-ka-wei  who  had 


12        The  Zi-Ka-Wei  Orphanage 

devoted  their  time  to  the  care  of  the  sick 
children  contracted  the  disease  and  died  martyrs 
of  their  Christian  charity.  The  records  of 
the  mission  contain  the  statement  that,  owing  to 
the  zeal  of  the  Christian  Chinese,  not  a  single 
infant  died  without  baptism. 

Such  was  the  beginning  of  the  Zi-ka-wei 
orphanage.  In  1866  a  new  building  was  added 
to  the  residence  at  Zi-ka-wei  and  given  over 
entirely  to  the  use  of  orphans  who  at  that 
time  numbered  343.  We  are  referring  to  the 
Jesuit  orphanage  only.  In  another  article  we 
shall  speak  of  the  orphanage  for  abandoned 
girls  in  charge  of  the  Sisters  known  as  "The 
Helpers  of  the  Holy  Souls."  Baron  de  Hubner 
speaks  very  admiringly  of  these  Religious:  "I'.y 
a  special  favor  we  were  admitted  into  the  board- 
ing school  which  is  generally  closed  to  men. 
It  is  a  large  court  surrounded  with  little  rooms, 
where  grouped  according  to  their  ages  (which 
are  from  5  to  16),  these  young  girls  receive  an 
education  suited  to  their  position  in  the  world. 
They  all  looked  well  and  happy,  and  were 
simply  but  nicely  dressed.  One  set,  their  books 
in  their  hands,  were  repeating  their  lessons  out 
loud :  others  were  doing  needle  work ;  and  some 
few.  magnificent  embroidery." 

The  care  of  the  orphans,  it  must  be  remarked. 


The  Zi-Ka-Wei  Orphanage        13 

is  not  the  ordinary  work  of  Jesuits,  but  in 
missionary  countries,  where  their  chief  concern 
is  to  bring  souls  to  a  knowledge  and  love  of 
Christian  truth  and  to  the  practice  of  Christian 
morality,  they  avail  themselves  of  all  oppor- 
tunities offered,  even  though  they  are  not 
altogether  equipped  for  the  work  by  their  Jesuit 
training.  In  South  America  the  European  uni- 
versity professors  became  tillers  of  the  soil  in 
order  to  win  the  aborigines  to  civilization  and 
to  God.  in  North  America  they  became  ex- 
plorers and  pathfinders ;  there  was  no  reason 
why,  in  China,  when  the  situation  demanded 
it,  they  could  not  assume  the  role  of  fathers 
of  the  Chinese  orphans. 

As  soon  as  the  institution  was  established  an 
appeal  was  made  to  their  European  brethren 
for  volunteer  workers  and  many  responded  with 
great  alacrity  to  the  call.  Amongst  the  new 
recruits  was  Brother  Jean  Ferrer,  an  artist  of 
some  note.  He  had  manifested  in  his  youth, 
a  rare  talent  as  an  artist  and  when  about 
twenty-five  years  of  age  he  went  from  Spain,  his 
native  country,  to  pursue  his  studies  under 
the  direction  of  the  master  artists  in  the  Eternal 
City.  While  there  he  learned  the  need  of  the 
Zi-ka-wei  orphanage  and.  with  a  generosity  as 
admirable  as  it  was  self-sacrificing,  he  offered 


14        The  Zi-Ka-Wei  Orphanage 

himself  to  the  Jesuit  superiors,  requesting,  at 
the  same  time,  that  he  be  sent  to  China.  He 
was  admitted  into  the  order  and  according  to 
request  sent,  at  the  completion  of  his  novitiate,  to 
Zi-ka-wei. 

Under  the  wise  direction  of  this  devoted  and 
capable  Brother,  the  Zi-ka-wei  orphanage  was 
enlarged  by  the  addition  of  a  technical  school 
where  many  useful  trades  were  taught  to  the 
boys  of  more  advanced  years.  Chief  amongst 
these  trades  which  the  boys  had  an  opportunity 
to  learn  were  painting,  varnishing,  weaving, 
wood-carving,  etc.  In  1867  a  school  of  agri- 
culture was  opened  but  it  had  to  be  abandoned 
in  its  infancy  because  it  was  impossible  to  secure 
the  necessary  land. 

It  is  chiefly  the  technical  work  done  at  Zi- 
ka-wei  that  has  attracted  the  attention  of 
visitors,  many  of  whom  have  spoken  in  the 
highest  terms  of  the  devotedness  of  the  teachers 
and  of  the  docility  and  efficiency  of  the  pupils. 
In  1871  Baron  de  Hubner  visited  the  orphanage 
and  tells  us  that  "the  scholars  pass  through  a 
course  of  classical  studies  in  the  Chinese  sense 
and  learn  every  kind  of  useful  knowledge.  The 
orphans  are  taught  all  sorts  of  trades.  Each 
of  these  young  men,  on  returning  to  his  family, 
will  bring  back  with  him  the  germs  of  a  new 


The  Zi-Ka-Wei  Orphanage        15 

civilization.  Everybody,  Fathers  and  students, 
seemed  gay  and  happy  and  in  good  health.  The 
superior  would  not  let  us  go  without  having 
improvised  a  little  concert.  Under  the  direction 
of  a  Chinese  Father  four  of  the  students  began 
to  play  a  symphony  of  Haydn's.  The  reverend 
director  of  the  orchestra,  with  a  huge  pair  of 
spectacles  on  his  nose,  directed,  cheered,  and 
with  baton  and  eye  kept  time  and  guided  these 
juvenile  virtuosi,  who,  fixing  their  little  eyes  on 
the  music  and  perspiring  from  every  pore, 
managed  to  perform  very  satisfactorily  one  of 
the  finest  compositions  of  this  great  master. 
Haydn  performed  in  China,  and  by  Chinese! 
Why  be  ashamed  to  own  it?  We  were  all 
greatly  touched  and  pleased." 

In  1872  we  learn  from  H.  M.  Consul  at 
Shanghai  that  the  "Romanist  missionaries  .  .  . 
rely  mainly  upon  educational  means  for  securing 
adherents,  and  although  the  process  must  neces- 
sarily be  a  slow  one,  yet  the  results,  when  these 
come  to  exhibit  themselves,  are  certainly  more 
satisfactory  as  regards  the  number  and  per- 
manency of  the  conversions." 

In  1874.  M.  Piassetsky  visited  the  Jesuit 
establishment  in  Shanghai.  He  gives  his  im- 
pression in  the  following  words :  "One  of  the 
Fathers  came  to  meet  us,  and  offered  to  show 


16        The  Zi-Ka-Wei  Orphanage 

us  over  the  establishment,  which  is  as  useful 
as  it  is  interesting.  It  takes  in  foundlings, 
orphan  children  of  all  ages,  from  new-born 
babes  to  those  nearly  grown  up,  and  has  been 
established  for  some  years.  Apart  from  Chinese 
they  also  teach  French  and  Latin,  besides  a 
general  notion  of  other  subjects,  but  principally 
philosophy  and  theology.  Neither  are  trades 
and  the  arts  by  any  means  neglected.  \Ye  were 
shown  the  carpenter's,  locksmith's,  and  shoe- 
maker's workshops,  and  the  studio  for  painting 
and  wood-carving,  the  last  entirely  devoted 
to  religious  subjects,  intended  for  the  Chinese 

churches    and    their    members The 

reverend  Father  conducted  us  to  the  observa- 
tory, where  he  showed  us  a  rather  complicated 
instrument.  I  confess  to  never  having  heard  of 
the  meteorograph  of  Father  Angelo  Secchi." 

The  system  of  instruction  does  not  terminate 
with  the  students'  life  at  the  orphanage ;  it  in- 
cludes the  after  career  of  the  boys.  The 
dangers  to  faith  and  morals  which  the  young 
men  have  to  face  when  they  leave  the  orphan- 
age are  provided  against  in  many  ways.  In  the 
first  place  a  contract  is  demanded  of  the  em- 
ployer by  which  he  pledges  himself  not  to  in- 
terfere with  the  Christian  religion  of  the  boys 
and  to  permit  them  to  return  several  times  a 


The  Zi-Ka-Wei  Orphanage        17 

year  for  reunions  at  Zi-ka-wei.  These  reunions 
are  fruitful  of  much  good,  both  from  a  social 
and  religious  point  of  view.  The  students  thus 
cultivate  life-long  friendships  with  those  of 
their  own  class  and  become  more  and  more  at- 
tached to  their  Alma  Mater.  There  is  in  fact, 
at  present,  a  little  village  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  orphanage  made  up  exclusively  of  "old 
boys"  and  their  families,  all  of  whom  are  devout 
Catholics. 

The  success  of  the  Fathers,  which  is  uni- 
versally conceded,  is  all  the  more  admirable 
when  one  considers  that  nearly  all  of  the  orphans 
at  Zi-ka-wei  are  of  the  class  of  those  who, 
abandoned  by  unnatural  parents,  are  picked  up 
by  the  roadside  or  purchased  at  low  price,  or, 
in  some  instances,  saved  from  the  inhuman 
practice  of  infanticide,  prevalent  in  China.  "A 
law  exists  in  the  statue  book,"  says  Sir  Robert 
Douglas,  "making  infanticide  a  crime,  but,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  it  is  never  acted  upon :  and  in 
some  parts  of  the  country,  more  especially  in 
the  Provinces  of  Keang-se  and  Fuh-Kien,  this 
most  unnatural  offense  prevails  amongst  the 
poorer  classes  to  an  alarming  extent.  Not  only 
do  the  people  acknowledge  the  existence  of  the 
practice,  but  even  go  to  the  length  of  defending 
it.  'What.'  they  say,  'is  the  good  of  rearing 


1 8        The  Zi-Ka-Wei  Orphanage 

daughters?  When  they  are  young  they  are  only 
an  expense,  and  when  they  reach  an  age  when 
they  might  be  able  to  earn  a  living,  they  marry 
and  leave  us?'  Periodically  the  mandarins  in- 
veigh against  the  inhumanity  of  the  offense,  and 
appeal  to  the  better  instincts  of  the  people  to 
put  a  stop  to  it,  but  a  stone  which  stands  near 
a  pool  outside  the  city  of  Foo-chow  bearing  the 
inscription,  'Girls  may  not  be  drowned  here,' 
testifies  with  terrible  emphasis  to  the  futility  of 
their  praiseworthy  endeavors." 

The  number  of  the  infants  rescued  from  death 
may  be  gathered  from  what  Miss  Field  tells  us 
regarding  the  condition  of  affairs  in  Peking. 
"A  Roman  Catholic  priest,"  she  writes,  "who 
had  lived  twenty-one  years  in  Peking  told  me 
that  during  the  year  1882  seven  hundred  little 
cast-away  girls  had  been  gathered  up  alive  from 
the  ruts  and  pits  of  the  street  and  brought  in 
by  the  messengers  sent  out  on  such  service  from 
the  Roman  Catholic  Foundling  Asylum  of  that 
city;  and  that  during  the  previous  ten  years 
over  eight  thousand  infants  had  been  thus  found 
and  sheltered  by  the  same  institution." 

These  facts  are  mentioned  because  they  in- 
dicate the  difficulties  that  have  to  be  surmounted 
in  educating  these  children  who  inherit  a  phy- 
sical and  moral  weakness  from  their  inhuman 


The  Zi-Ka-\Vei  Orphanage        19 

parents.  The  difficulties  are  surmounted,  how- 
ever, and  the  boys  trained  in  the  orphanage  are 
not  only  a  credit  to  the  institution  but  an  honor 
to  the  Chinese  Republic. 

Somewhat  humble,  in  its  origin,  as  we  have 
seen,  and  laboring  under  immense  disadvantages 
in  its  work  by  reason  of  the  material  supplied 
for  the  building  of  Christian  manhood,  the 
Zi-ka-wei  orphanage  has  grown  and  prospered 
and  may  at  the  present  time  be  more  appro- 
priately described  as  a  technical  school  of  the 
very  highest  efficiency. 

There  is,  among  other  admirable  features,  a 
large  printing  plant,  where  the  boys  are  taught 
typesetting,  presswork,  engraving,  lithographing, 
and  all  the  allied  trades.  Many  books  in  Chi- 
nese as  wrell  as  in  the  European  languages  issue 
from  the  Zi-ka-wei  press.  There  are,  moreover, 
t\vo  magazines,  both  of  them  in  the  Chinese 
language,  "The  Catholic  Review,"  a  bi-weekly, 
and  "The  Messenger  of  the  Sacred  Heart." 
They  number  more  than  8,000  subscribers  and 
are  of  wonderful  influence  in  spreading  the 
knowledge  of  Christian  truth. 

^'oodcarving  is  given  special  attention,  not 
only  because  the  Chinese  have  .a  native  talent 
for  this  kind  of  work,  but  also  because  it  is 
admirably  suited  for  religious  purposes.  The 


2O        The  Zi-Ka-Wei  Orphanage 

statues,  carved  at  Zi-ka-wei,  some  of  them  in 
massive  proportions  and  all  of  them  executed 
with  extreme  delicacy  and  unusual  taste,  may  be 
found  in  nearly  all  of  the  churches  of  China. 
The  statues  that  have  been  sent  to  the  Panama- 
Pacific  International  Exposition,  notably  those 
of  St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  the  Cure  d'Ars  and 
the  Virgin  Mary,  have  been  universally  re- 
garded as  works  of  art.  Not  only  are  the  lines 
of  exceptional  beauty  but  the  expression,  the 
poise,  the  detail,  the  proportions  are  such  as  to 
entitle  the  statues  to  a  niche  in  the  Palace  of 
Fine  Arts.  The  material  chosen  for  the  statues 
is  exclusively  Chinese.  Other  nations  delight 
in  bronze  or  Carrara  marble,  and  the  result  is 
oftentimes  fascinating;  the  Chinese  have  sent  us 
their  carvings  in  teakwood  and  while  it  may  be 
said  of  teakwood,  that  it  is  "more  enduring 
than  bronze,"  the  chief  point  of  interest  seems 
to  be  that  to  the  orphans  of  Zi-ka-wei  belongs 
the  unique  honor  of  having  added  a  new  page  to 
the  history  of  Christian  art.  For  centuries  the 
teakwood  of  the  Orient  was  used  for  statuary 
representing  pagan  deities ;  now  it  is  formed  into 
the  likenesses  of  Christ  and  His  saints. 

Xor  are  religious  statues  the  exclusive  work 
of  the  Zi-ka-wei  orphans.  Recognizing  the 
historic  value  of  Chinese  traditions  and  the  need 


The  Zi-Ka-Wei  Orphanage        21 

of  perpetuating  a  memory  of  the  wonderful 
past,  they  devote  their  skill  and  talents  to 
statues  of  Confucius,  Buddha,  Chinese  warriors 
and  kings  with  as  much  pleasure  and  artistic 
nicety  as  to  those  of  Christian  heroes.  The 
warrior  kings  on  exhibit  at  the  Exposition  have 
been  carved  in  solid  blocks  of  teak  wood.  They 
are  reproductions  of  statues  originally  found  on 
the  pagoda  Yuenping-hsien,  which  was  built  in 
the  fourteenth  century.  These  ancient  statues 
present  a  striking  contrast  to  the  Christian  sub- 
jects. It  is  almost  like  a  study  in  comparative 
religion  to  pass  from  the  contemplation  of  one 
of  the  warriors  with  drawn  sword  or  menacing 
spear  to  the  prayerful  countenance  and  humble 
posture  of  Francis  of  Assisi.  Perhaps  the  con- 
trast, so  eloquent  in  the  suggestion  of  the  beau- 
ties of  genuine  Christianity,  is  the  explanation 
of  what  might  otherwise  astonish  some  hyper- 
critical observer,  that  the  Christian  youths  are 
taught  to  carve  images  of  non-Christian  gods 
and  demi-gods. 

A  special  pamphlet  is  in  preparation  which 
will  be  devoted  exclusively  to  the  subject  of 
Chinese  Pagodas.  A  few  words,  however,  on 
this  feature  of  the  Zi-ka-wei  achievements  will 
not  be  out  of  place  here. 

Brother  Beck,  S.J.,  who  is  at  the  present  time 


22        The  Zi-Ka-Wei  Orphanage 

the  director  of  the  woodcarving  department  of 
the  orphanage,  conceived  the  idea  of  restoring, 
in  exact  detail,  though  of  course,  in  miniature, 
all  of  the  celebrated  pagodas  of  the  Chinese 
Empire.  It  was,  in  most  cases,  a  strict  restora- 
tion because  many  of  these  monuments  of  Chi- 
nese architecture,  which  has  of  recent  years  at- 
tracted the  admiration  of  the  world,  are  in  a 
crumbling  condition  and  hence  an  intricate  study 
of  ancient  documents  and  present-day  ruins  was 
necessary.  For  years  the  work  was  carried  on 
and  the  Zi-ka-wei  woodcarvers  have  presented 
to  the  world,  nearly  every  Pagoda  in  its  original 
artistic  and  architectural  splendor.  Seventy-two 
in  all,  they  may  be  seen  at  the  Panama-Pacific 
International  Exposition. 

Those  who  merely  pass  through  the  buildings 
in  search  of  something  exciting  will  be  forced 
to  pause  and  admire  the  miniature  structures, 
but  the  student  of  history  and  of  art  will  not 
stop  at  mere  admiration ;  he  will  recognize  in 
the  Pagoda  collection  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able educational  exhibits  in  the  entire  Exposi- 
tion. It  is  educational  in  more  senses  than 
one ;  it  shows  the  manual  training  of  the  Zi-ka- 
wei  orphans,  the  research  work  of  Brother  Beck, 
S.J.,  which  ranks,  in  the  opinion  of  some,  with 


The  Zi-Ka-Wei  Orphanage        23 

the  work  of  Roman  or  even  Babylonian  arche- 
ologists ;  and  finally  it  tells  more  plainly  and 
more  eloquently  than  many  books  can  tell,  what 
wonderful  builders  the  Chinese  of  ancient  times 
really  were,  what  an  eye  to  detail  and  to  sym- 
metric proportion  they  possessed,  what  skill  in 
execution,  and  what  reverence  they  had  for  the 
religion  of  the  country. 

Artistic  painting  is  another  pastime  of  the 
Zi-ka-wei  orphans,  as  interesting  as  it  is  profit- 
able. In  their  painting  as  in  their  woodcarving 
one  will  notice  a  mixture  of  Christian  and  Chi- 
nese subjects.  St.  Anthony  and  St.  Francis 
here,  Buddha  and  Confucius  there.  The  Ma- 
donna with  the  little  Chinese-featured  Child  on 
one  side  and  the  monstrous  Oriental  dragon  on 
the  other.  At  the  Exposition  the  pictures  on 
display  are  predominantly  Christian  and  for  the 
most  part,  reproductions  of  famous  masterpieces, 
but  they  are  artistic  reproductions  and  mani- 
fest a  skill  all  the  more  admirable  when  it  is 
remembered  that  the  young  artists  are  mere 
boys. 

Furniture-making  is  another  trade  taught  at 
Zi-ka-wei.  That  it  is  taught  with  consummate 
thoroughness,  no  one.  who  visits  the  exhibit  can 
for  a  moment  doubt.  Dining  sets,  parlor  sets, 


293036 


24        The  Zi-Ka-Wei  Orphanage 

desks,  camphor  boxes,  teakwood  chests,  side- 
boards, hand  carved  screens,  Chinese  sofas,  etc., 
— all  manifest  a  skill  and  taste  above  par. 

Of  other  trades  taught  we  need  not  speak. 
Sufficient  has  been  said  to  indicate  the  nature 
of  the  work  accomplished.  The  Chinese  in 
general,  always  grateful  and  appreciative,  re- 
gard the  Zi-ka-wei  institutions  with  great  favor. 
Tourists  speak  in  the  highest  terms  of  its 
achievements,  while  the  boys  who  are  trained 
there,  those  of  the  college  as  well  as  those  of 
the  orphanage,  make  it  a  solemn  duty  to  spread 
the  good  name  of  their  Alma  Mater  throughout 
the  Chinese  Republic,  chiefly  by  the  admirable 
example  of  their  Christian  lives. 


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